Recycle The Right Way
When I head back from a client’s after a day’s work, I usually have a lot of cardboard and paper that needs to be recycled. If I am not close to a recycling centre or I don’t have enough to warrant a visit, I will often head to my nearest Sainsbury’s, which has its own recycling point. They have LOADS of large bins - clearly labelled with what should (and shouldn’t) go in them. So, when I popped there on Monday, I was absolutely appalled to find the bins overflowing and bags and boxes just left by the bins when there obviously wasn’t enough space to add anything in.
Why do people do this?
Yes, I know - the council should probably empty them more often but not very much of our council tax goes to this department, so that’s a whole other email to our MP and a discussion for later. But it does not excuse the utter laziness and sheer arrogance of some people!
My friend asked me for some advice on where to take some clothes and she sent me a similar photo. A charity shop, which had multiple signs in the window stating that it was closed until further notice, with a bag of clothes that had been left outside the shop, which had then started to be strewn across the street.
This behaviour just makes work for other people and, when it’s not that difficult to find another recycling centre or a charity shop that is open and willing to take your items, it’s just not acceptable.
So where can I take my recycling?
If you’re struggling to find ways of recycling your items locally or aren’t sure which charity shop to head to, then take a look at my list below. Some links are nationwide but if you’re not local to the Warwickshire area, then head to your council's website or find your nearest charity shop and ring them before even starting your decluttering so you have an exit strategy for your items well worked out in advance!
Recycling Points
Find your nearest recycling points by using this link from Recycle Now
https://www.recyclenow.com/local-recycling
They list every recycling point local to you - whether it just takes one type of item or 30, just search your postcode and you will find shops and drop off points. It also tells you what you can and can’t recycle through your kerbside collection.
Recycling and Waste Disposal Centres
If you have bigger items to recycle or you have items that can’t be recycled and needs to head to landfill (please double-check that you can’t recycle it somehow), then the Warwick County Council link will find you your nearest ‘tip’. You currently still need to book at least the day before you turn up, so planning in advance is the key here. It is free, but you won’t be let in without a booking.
Terracycle Schemes
If you’re looking to recycle more of your daily waste, then a great scheme to investigate in the Terracycle schemes. With these, you can usually recycle toiletries packaging, coffee pods, crisp packets - loads of things! But you do have to find a drop off location which can sometimes be tricky. Usually, a Facebook search of “Terracycle [insert your location here] will help you find your nearest location.
My advice with this is to start slow - do not try and recycle through every scheme straight away. Pick one - for instance, crisp packets, find a place to store them until drop off date, then after that pick another item on top - sweet wrappers, for instance. The last thing you need is to end up with a recycling depot in your own home, so take it slowly and don’t overwhelm yourself with it.
https://www.terracycle.com/en-GB
Charity Shops
Now let me put this right at the top. CHARITY SHOPS DO NOT WANT YOUR CRAP. Charity shops need to make a profit to do good with their money. The last thing we want is for the charity to have to pay £1000’s to dispose of stained, tatty clothing and shoes and broken bric-a-brac so before you put it in a bag - filter out the rubbish and ask yourself these questions.
Is it a good brand?
Does it still have lots of life in it?
Has it become misshapen with 100 washes or wears?
Does the game have all the bits?
Is the box still intact?
WILL THEY MAKE MONEY FROM IT?
If you’ve answered yes to all the above, make sure it is clean and pop it in a bag. Then chose a charity shop to take it to. Most charity shops are now fully back up and running and are taking donations. Still, I’d always recommend ringing to check when and where is best to drop off and also if there’s anything they’re specifically looking or not looking for at the moment.
As well as taking your items to the charity shop, some also arrange drive-through drop-offs on certain days, or you may be able to post your items to their warehouse free of charge. Head to your chosen charities website to find out if they do this.
How do you dispose of your recycling or items to donate? Does your kerbside collection collect everything or barely anything? Let me know in the comments!
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When I asked for questions my social media followers would like answers to this one came up a lot. And my first thought to answer this was…DON’T!
But then I changed my mind, read my blog to find out why and how!